Around Christmas time, as I was perusing the piles of books I have in my apartment, looking for stuff to bring with me to Belize in January, Myke Cole's debut, Shadow Ops: Control Point initially made it into the rotation. And then, proving yet again how much of a dumbass I can be when I put my mind to it, I elected to bring the new Naomi Novik instead. I know, I know...

Soon, the internet was abuzz with positive reviews of Cole's debut, making me regret my decision. Fortunately, I was rum punching my way through San Pedro and Caye Caulker by then, caught in a perpetual state of happiness that only the sun, the sea, rum, and girls in bikini can bring. However, all too quickly my world came crashing down on me and I was forced to return to reality and winter.

And though I had prior commitments to go through before I could give the novel a shot, I told Myke Cole that I'd be reading Shadow Ops: Control Point as soon as I was done with them. And I'm glad I did, for this book is the absolute shit! A definite frontrunner for the SFF debut of the year, no question about it!

Here's the blurb:

Army Officer. Fugitive. Sorcerer.

Across the country and in every nation, people are waking up with magical talents. Untrained and panicked, they summon storms, raise the dead, and set everything they touch ablaze.

Army officer Oscar Britton sees the worst of it. A lieutenant attached to the military's Supernatural Operations Corps, his mission is to bring order to a world gone mad. Then he abruptly manifests a rare and prohibited magical power, transforming him overnight from government agent to public enemy number one.

The SOC knows how to handle this kind of situation: hunt him down--and take him out. Driven into an underground shadow world, Britton is about to learn that magic has changed all the rules he's ever known, and that his life isn't the only thing he's fighting for.

Although the opening chapter of a trilogy, Shadow Ops: Control Point is an introduction to a tale that's much larger in scope that reads like a stand-alone work. Hence, even though the author introduces a lot of cool concepts and fascinating ideas, Cole nevertheless keeps his cards pretty close to his chest. He gives readers a number of tantalizing peeks, yet he doesn't elaborate much on most of them. I would have liked to learn much more about the Supernatural Operations Corps, the Source, the Goblins and other creatures, the act of Manifesting, as well as many other aspects of the worldbuilding. But it was not to be. As a result, it's difficult to judge the depth of Myke Cole's creation, but he definitely piqued my curiosity and you can label me intrigued.

What originally made me drop this book from my Belizean selections was my doubt that this sort of military fantasy could truly work. Boy was I wrong! I don't know if it's because Myke Cole served in the military and did three tours in Iraq, but the guy managed to incorporate magic in military operations in a way that was realistic and exciting. When Peter V. Brett claimed that Cole's debut was "Black Hawk Down meets The X-Men," he was right.

The tale unfolds through the eyes of Oscar Britton, a lieutenant in the Supernatural Operations Corps whose life take a turn for the worse when he Manifests and suddenly becomes public enemy number one. At first, I feared that the main protagonist was a bit too empathic and introspective. That emo side of his seemed to clash with his kick-ass personality. And yet, Britton gradually grows on you and Myke Cole has quite a few surprises in store for him and the readers. A do-gooder whose good intentions often gets him in trouble, Britton goes through a lot of character growth between the covers of this novel. Whether or not this protagonist can carry the series by himself, or if the author will include the POVs of additional characters in the forthcoming sequels, remains to be seen. But as far as this debut is concerned, letting readers experience everything from Britton's point of view allowed us to truly feel the sense of loss and bewilderment that he is forced to go through as his life is turned upside down.

The pace is crips throughout, with not a single dull moment from beginning to end. There are no info-dumps, but some missions are just an excuse for Myke Cole to showcase how magic operates in combat situations. Having said that, most of those are extremely cool and page-turning action sequences. All good!

Sneaky bastard that he is, the author sort of lulls you into a false sense of security in the last portion of the novel. So much so that you feel that the end will be more or less predictable. And then, without warning, he turns the tables on you, coming up with a thrilling finale that makes it well nigh impossible for anyone not to read the second installment. Say one thing about Myke Cole, say that he sure knows how to bring the house down with a bang!

Shadow Ops: Control Point is a fun, intelligent, action-packed, entertaining read with a generous dose of ass-kicking! In all likelihood, this work won't get nominated for any genre awards. But it's been quite a while since I've had this much fun reading a book!

As far as the speculative fiction debut of 2012 is concerned, Myke Cole now sits in pole position. And he'll probably be hard to beat!

The next book in the series is THE UNHOLY CONSULT, which you’ve already spoken of as being the biggest gamechanger in the whole series to date. How is work progressing with that book and when do you think it might be done?

THE UNHOLY CONSULT has been progressing more slowly than I would like. I was hoping for a fall release, but it will likely have to be pushed back to next year. Each book has had it’s particular struggles attached, but none quite so profound as this. We have a small child now, and this has forced me to abandon all my old habits and routines–two things which have been the cornerstone of my productivity since the beginning. I’ve also had to do some teaching and other work; if publishing does go the way of the music industry, all mid-list writers need to be prepared. Good writing is typically a maniacal, obsessive, experience for me–of the kind which, quite frankly, parenthood and moonlighting simply do not allow (certainly when children are quite young). There’s life and there’s the book–and there’s me, trying to write in the middle of what seems a war sometimes!

But war can be good, so long as it finds its way to the page in the right way.

You can now download Neal Stephenson's Anathem for only 1.99$ here. Considering that the hardback is 937 pages long, that's a sweet deal!

Here's the blurb:

Anathem, the latest invention by the New York Times bestselling author of Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle, is a magnificent creation: a work of great scope, intelligence, and imagination that ushers readers into a recognizable - yet strangely inverted - world.

Fraa Erasmas is a young avout living in the Concent of Saunt Edhar, a sanctuary for mathematicians, scientists, and philosophers, protected from the corrupting influences of the outside "saecular" world by ancient stone, honored traditions, and complex rituals. Over the centuries, cities and governments have risen and fallen beyond the concent's walls. Three times during history's darkest epochs violence born of superstition and ignorance has invaded and devastated the cloistered mathic community. Yet the avout have always managed to adapt in the wake of catastrophe, becoming out of necessity even more austere and less dependent on technology and material things. And Erasmas has no fear of the outside - the Extramuros - for the last of the terrible times was long, long ago.

Now, in celebration of the week-long, once-in-a-decade rite of Apert, the fraas and suurs prepare to venture beyond the concent's gates - at the same time opening them wide to welcome the curious "extras" in. During his first Apert as a fraa, Erasmas eagerly anticipates reconnecting with the landmarks and family he hasn't seen since he was "collected." But before the week is out, both the existence he abandoned and the one he embraced will stand poised on the brink of cataclysmic change.

Powerful unforeseen forces jeopardize the peaceful stability of mathic life and the established ennui of the Extramuros - a threat that only an unsteady alliance of saecular and avout can oppose - as, one by one, Erasmas and his colleagues, teachers, and friends are summoned forth from the safety of the concent in hopes of warding off global disaster. Suddenly burdened with a staggering responsibility, Erasmas finds himself a major player in a drama that will determine the future of his world - as he sets out on an extraordinary odyssey that will carry him to the most dangerous, inhospitable corners of the planet . . . and beyond.

Holy shit, but Christopher Priest doesn't pull any punches! Most genre fans don't give a damn about awards, yet even those who do opined that this year's shortlist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award was kind of weak.

In a day and age in which the credibility of such awards continues to be questioned, Christopher Priest goes all out!

Here's an excerpt from his article:

It seems to me that 2011 was a poor year for science fiction. Of the sixty books submitted by publishers, only a tiny handful were suitable for awards. The brutal reality is that there were fewer than the six needed for the Clarke shortlist. Many of the submissions were fantasy of the least ambitious type, and many of the science fiction titles were almost as firmly embedded in genre orthodoxies, to their own huge disadvantage (and discredit), as the plodding, laddish works of Mr Mark Billingham. Discounting all those submissions did not leave many competitors at the top.

[...]

In short, the winner of the award must be found within an excellent shortlist, that the win must seem to have been hard-won, and that the choice was the result of reasoned argument and intelligent debate amongst the judges.

[...]

Miéville has already won the Clarke Award three times – which is not his fault, and one assumes not his intention. No doubt he is pleased to have done so. His current novel is the leading contender for this year’s award, and if it becomes the winner then it will be his fourth. Again, not his fault and not apparently what he necessarily seeks, but also it’s safe to assume he would not turn it down.

However, a fourth award to this writer would send out a misleading and damaging message to the world at large: it suggests that not only is Mr Miéville the best the SF world can offer at the moment, he is shown to be more or less the only writer worth reading. Worse even than this, it would send a misleading message to China Miéville himself.

Although Miéville is clearly talented, he does not work hard enough. For a novel about language, Embassytown contains many careless solecisms, which either Mr Miéville or his editor should have dealt with. This isn’t the place to go into a long textual analysis, but (for example) a writer at his level should never use ‘alright’ so often or so unembarrassedly. He also uses far too many neologisms or SF nonce-words, which drive home the fact that he is defined and limited by the expectations of a genre audience. On the first few pages, alone, he uses the words ‘shiftparents’, ‘voidcraft’, ‘yearsends’, ‘trid’, ‘vespcams’, ‘miab’, ‘plastone’, ‘hostnest’, ‘altoysterman’ … Yes, of course, it’s possible to work out what most of these might mean (or to wait until another context makes them clearer), but it is exactly this use of made-up nouns that makes many people find science fiction arcane or excluding. A better writer would find a more effective way of suggesting strangeness or an alien environment than by just ramming words together. It’s lazy writing.

[...]

Sheri S. Tepper’s The Waters Rising (Gollancz) – how can one describe it? For fuck’s sake, it is a quest saga and it has a talking horse. There are puns on the word ‘neigh’.

[...]

We have a dreadful shortlist put together by a set of judges who were not fit for purpose. They were incompetent. Their incompetence was made more problematical because the overall quality of the fiction in the year in question was poor. They did not know how to resolve this. They played what they saw as safe.

They failed themselves, they failed the Clarke Award, and they failed anyone who takes a serious interest in speculative fiction.

[...]

The easy way out of this problem is to do nothing. We wait for 2nd May, we troop along to the awards ceremony and we wait for the decision to be announced. In a sense, it does not matter which one of the six books is announced, because all of them are deficient in the ways I have described. (If this happens, I hope the winner is Jane Rogers, because the deficiencies in her novel are much less serious than those in the others.) The true winner of the award, the writer of the best book of last year, will never be known, because he or she is not on the shortlist.

But there is a better way forward, and here it is.1. The present panel of judges should be fired, or forced to resign, immediately. Their names are Juliet E. McKenna, Martin Lewis, Phil Nanson, Nikkianne Moody and Rob Grant. Chairman Andrew M. Butler should also resign. These people have proved themselves incompetent as judges, and should not be allowed to have any more say about or influence on the Arthur C. Clarke Award.2. The 2012 Arthur C. Clarke Award should be suspended forthwith, and the planned awards ceremony on 2nd May should be cancelled.3. The award fund (£2,012.00, as I understand it) should be held over until next year. Next year’s fund should be added to it, so that the prize for 2013 becomes £4,013.00.4. The 2013 Clarke Award should be made to the best novel published in the two years ended 31st December 2012. All novels currently eligible for the 2012 award, whether or not they have been shortlisted by this year’s panel, are eligible again.5. All the other usual rules of the Award should be applied.

In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, AD 2142, Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones – but none have been reported missing. And the crime’s most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire and his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner, on the tropical planet of St Libra.

But if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough and confident, she never waivered under interrogation – claiming she alone survived an alien attack. But there is no animal life on St Libra. Investigating this alien threat becomes the Human Defence Agency’s top priority. The bio-fuel flowing from St Libra is the lifeblood of Earth’s economy and must be secured.

So a vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway, and teams of engineers, support personnel and xenobiologists are dispatched to the planet. Along with their technical advisor, grudgingly released from prison, Angela Tramelo. But the expedition is cut off, deep within St Libra’s rainforests. Then the murders begin.

Someone or something is picking off the team one by one. Angela insists it’s the alien, but her new colleagues aren’t so sure. Maybe she did see an alien, or maybe she has other reasons for being on St Libra... This is a stunning standalone adventure, by a writer at the height of his powers.

I have two copies of Bradley P. Beaulieu's The Straits of Galahesh for you to win, courtesy of the folks at Night Shade Books. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

West of the Grand Duchy of Anuskaya lies the Empire of Yrstanla, the Motherland. The Empire has lived at peace with Anuskaya for generations, but with political turmoil brewing and the wasting disease still rampant, opportunists from the mainland have begun to set their sights on the Grand Duchy, seeking to expand their empire. Five years have passed since Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, was tasked with finding Nasim, the child prodigy behind a deadly summoning that led to a grand clash between the armies of man and elder elemental spirits. Today, that boy has grown into a young man driven to understand his past - and the darkness from which Nikandr awakened him. Nikandr's lover, Atiana, has become a Matra, casting her spirit forth to explore, influence, and protect the Grand Duchy. But when the Al-Aqim, long thought lost to the past, return to the islands and threaten to bring about indaraqiram - a change that means certain destruction for both the Landed and the Landless - bitter enemies must become allies and stand against their horrific plans. From Bradley P. Beaulieu, author of the critically acclaimed debut novel The Winds of Khalakovo, comes Book Two of The Lays of Anuskaya, The Straits of Galahesh.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "GALAHESH." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Orbit has posted an extract from James S. A. Corey's Caliban's War on their website. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

We are not alone.

The alien protomolecule is clear evidence of an intelligence beyond human reckoning. No one knows what exactly is being built on Venus, but whatever it is, it is vast, powerful, and terrifying.

When a creature of unknown origin and seemingly impossible physiology attacks soldiers on Ganymede, the fragile balance of power in the Solar System shatters. Now, the race is on to discover if the protomolecule has escaped Venus, or if someone is building an army of super-soldiers.

Jim Holden is the center of it all. In spite of everything, he's still the best man for the job to find out what happened on Ganymede. Either way, the protomolecule is loose and Holden must find a way to stop it before war engulfs the entire system.

CALIBAN'S WAR is an action-packed space adventure following in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed Leviathan Wakes.

There was a couple who lived down the street and felt sorry for us, so every now and then they'd bring over a big bowl of spaghetti. When we were really hard up, Nikki and I would date girls who worked in grocery stores just for the free food. But we always bought our own booze. It was a matter of pride.

You can now download Suzanne Collins' bestselling The Hunger Games for 5.00$ here. The second and third volumes, Catching Fire and Mockingjay are also heavily discounted at the moment. Which means that you can download the entire series for a few dollars more than it will cost you to go see the movie!

Here's the blurb for The Hunger Games:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Acclaimed writer Suzanne Collins, author of the New York Times bestselling The Underland Chronicles, delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

When she first intended to write a book about dragons set in the Rain Wilds, the original manuscript Robin Hobb turned in was too long to be published as a single novel. Hence, the story was split into Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven.

A while back, the author informed us that the same thing had happened, forcing her publishers to once again split the story into two halves, City of Dragons and Blood of Dragons. Problem is, given the relatively small size of City of Dragons, unless Blood of Dragons is a veritable doorstopper of a novel similar to works from Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin, and Steven Erikson, it does appear that Harper Voyager is sticking it to readers by forcing them two buy two volumes instead of one. And you know how I feel about the proliferation of unnecessary sequels to string readers along. . .

Here's the blurb:

Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the third instalment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy.

Kelsingra awaits for those brave enough to enter…

The dragons and their keepers have discovered Kelsingra but so far only Heeby has succeeded in flying over the river to enter the fabled city. The other dragons, with their deformed wings and feeble muscles, are afraid to risk failure and humiliation.

But wondrous things await in Kelsingra, a city built for dragons and their Elderling keepers. Alise, overwhelmed by the treasures she finds there, records her finds for posterity. Once the rest of the world knows about the riches the city contains, nothing will ever be the same again.

Already, rumours of the city’s discovery have floated down the Rain Wild River and reached envious ears in Bingtown and beyond. Adventurers, pirates and fortune hunters are coming in droves to pillage what they can from the city. As is Hest Finbok, Alise’s husband…

Meanwhile, Selden Vestrit finds himself a prisoner of the ailing Duke of Chalced, who believes him to be some sort of dragon-man whose flesh and blood may work miracle cures.

Where is Tintaglia, the great sapphire-blue dragon, when all have such need of her? Has she really abandoned her beloved Selden and the fledgling dragons forever? Or will she too return to seek the wonders of Kelsingra?

As was the case with the last Rain Wilds novel, the worldbuilding was the most fascinating aspect of City of Dragons. Once again, we get more insight into the lives of dragons, Elderlings and their secrets, and the Rain Wilds in general. Revelations about Kelsingra were engrossing, giving us a few glimpses about the past lives of dragons and Elderlings.

As is usually her wont, Hobb's characterization remains her strong suit. The emancipation of women and society's acceptance of gay people are once again themes that lie at the heart of the tale, as was the one focusing on how individuals shunned by society strive to find their own place in the world. Thymara, Alise, and Sedric take center stage once more, but the storylines also focus on other characters. Leftrin's return to Cassarick brings a number of new plotlines to the fore, many of them quite surprising. Malta and Reyn Khuprus' storyline was the most unanticipated and most interesting. Selden's plotline is also quite intriguing. All in all, Robin Hobb takes this story in new and unforeseen directions.

The pace is fluid throughout, and all too quickly one reaches the end of the book. Trouble is, as this is only the first half of what was a single manuscript, there is no resolution whatsoever and the end lacks the usual Robin Hobb punch. The novel is brought to a close at the point where it probably made the most sense, but the reading experience fails to generate any satisfaction. Hence, one can't help but feel a bit disappointed by it all.

City of Dragons doesn't feel like a novel in the true sense of the word. Indeed, it feels more like a single piece in a multilayered whole. As was the case with the last two Rain Wilds installments, until we read the entire story, it's impossible to judge the inherent quality of this work on its own merit. Too much remains missing. . .

Which is too bad, for based on City of Dragons, Hobb's latest manuscript appears to be her very best work since Fool's Fate. . .

Loup Garron was born and raised in Santa Olivia, an isolated, disenfranchised town next to a US military base inside a DMZ buffer zone between Texas and Mexico. A fugitive "Wolf-Man" who had a love affair with a local woman, Loup's father was one of a group of men genetically-manipulated and used by the US government as a weapon. The "Wolf-Men" were engineered to have superhuman strength, speed, sensory capability, stamina, and a total lack of fear, and Loup, named for and sharing her father's wolf-like qualities, is marked as an outsider.

After her mother dies, Loup goes to live among the misfit orphans at the parish church, where they seethe from the injustices visited upon the locals by the soldiers. Eventually, the orphans find an outlet for their frustrations: They form a vigilante group to support Loup Garron who, costumed as their patron saint, Santa Olivia, uses her special abilities to avenge the town.

Aware that she could lose her freedom, and possibly her life, Loup is determined to fight to redress the wrongs her community has suffered. And like the reincarnation of their patron saint, she will bring hope to all of Santa Olivia.

I have three copies of George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, the graphic novel (adapted by Daniel Abraham and illustrated by Tommy Patterson) up for grabs, compliments of the folks at Bantam Books. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

You’ve read the books. You’ve watched the hit series on HBO. Now acclaimed novelist Daniel Abraham and illustrator Tommy Patterson bring George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy masterwork A Game of Thrones to majestic new life in the pages of this full-color graphic novel. Comprised of the initial six issues of the graphic series, this is the first volume in what is sure to be one of the most coveted collaborations of the year.

Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost of the fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon in far-off King’s Landing. There Eddard Stark of Winterfell rules in Robert’s name. There his family dwells in peace and comfort: his proud wife, Catelyn; his sons Robb, Brandon, and Rickon; his daughters Sansa and Arya; and his bastard son, Jon Snow. Far to the north, behind the towering Wall, lie savage Wildings and worse—unnatural things relegated to myth during the centuries-long summer, but proving all too real and all too deadly in the turning of the season.

Yet a more immediate threat lurks to the south, where Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, has died under mysterious circumstances. Now Robert is riding north to Winterfell, bringing his queen, the lovely but cold Cersei, his son, the cruel, vainglorious Prince Joffrey, and the queen’s brothers Jamie and Tyrion of the powerful and wealthy House Lannister—the first a swordsman without equal, the second a dwarf whose stunted stature belies a brilliant mind. All are heading for Winterfell and a fateful encounter that will change the course of kingdoms.

Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, Prince Viserys, heir of the fallen House Targaryen, which once ruled all of Westeros, schemes to reclaim the throne with an army of barbarian Dothraki—whose loyalty he will purchase in the only coin left to him: his beautiful yet innocent sister, Daenerys.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "THRONES." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Since I don't really have any interest in this book but I know that many of you are eagerly awaiting its release, I'm giving away my review copy of Matthew Stover's Caine's Law. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

SOME LAWS YOU BREAK. SOME BREAK YOU.

AND THEN THERE’S CAINE’S LAW.

From the moment Caine first appeared in the pages of Heroes Die, two things were clear. First, that Matthew Stover was one of the most gifted fantasy writers of his generation. And second, that Caine was a hero whose peers go by such names as Conan and Elric. Like them, Caine was something new: a civilized man who embraced savagery, an actor whose life was a lie, a force of destruction so potent that even gods thought twice about crossing him. Now Stover brings back his greatest creation for his most stunning performance yet.

Caine is washed up and hung out to dry, a crippled husk kept isolated and restrained by the studio that exploited him. Now they have dragged him back for one last deal. But Caine has other plans. Those plans take him back to Overworld, the alternate reality where gods are real and magic is the ultimate weapon. There, in a violent odyssey through time and space, Caine will face the demons of his past, find true love, and just possibly destroy the universe.

Hey, it’s a crappy job, but somebody’s got to do it.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "CAINE." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

You can now download Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion for 0.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

A man broken in body and spirit, Cazaril returns to the noble household he once served as page and is named secretary-tutor to the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is next in line to rule. It is an assignment Cazaril dreads, for it must ultimately lead him to the place he most fears: the royal court of Cardegoss, where the powerful enemies who once placed him in chains now occupy lofty positions.

But it is more than the traitorous intrigues of villains that threaten Cazaril and the Royesse Iselle here, for a sinister curse hangs like a sword over the entire blighted House of Chalion. And only by employing the darkest, most forbidden of magics can Cazaril hope to protect his royal charge -- an act that will mark him as a tool of the miraculous . . . and trap him in a lethal maze of demonic paradox.

Alexander, Prince of Macedon, is the terror of the world. Persia, Egypt, Athens . . . one after another, mighty nations are falling before the fearsome conqueror. Some say Alexander is actually the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and the living incarnation of Hercules himself. Worse yet, some say Alexander believes this . . . .

The ambitious prince is aided in his conquest by unstoppable war-machines based on the forbidden knowledge of his former tutor, the legendary scientist-mage known as Aristotle. Greek fire, mechanical golems, and gigantic siege--engines lay waste to Alexander's enemies as his armies march relentlessly west--toward the very edge of the world.

Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, past the gateway to the outer ocean, lies the rumored remnants of Atlantis: ancient artifacts of such tremendous power that they may be all that stands between Alexander and conquest of the entire world. Alexander desires that power for himself, but an unlikely band of fugitives--including a Gaulish barbarian, a cynical Greek archer, a cunning Persian princess, and a sorcerer's daughter--must find it first . . . before Alexander unleashes godlike forces that will shatter civilization.

The Pillars of Hercules is an epic adventure that captures the grandeur and mystery of the ancient world as it might have been, where science and magic are one and the same.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "HERCULES." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Enter the New York Times bestselling Malazan universe... at a time that sets the stage for all the tales already told.

Steven Erikson entered the pantheon of great fantasy writers with his debut Gardens of the Moon. Now Erikson returns with a trilogy that takes place before the events of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. The Forge of Darkness takes readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, and tells an epic tale of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in the fall of the Malazan Empire.

It’s a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power… and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners’ great hero, Vatha Urusander, longs for ascendency and Mother Dark’s hand in marriage, but she has taken another Consort, Lord Draconus, from the faraway Dracon Hold. The idea of this union sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Adarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold.

Steven Erikson brings to life this ancient and important tale set in the world he introduced in the Malazan Book of the Fallen in a way that should appeal to fans of George R. R. Martin.

Among inhospitable and unforgiving seas stands Khalakovo, a mountainous archipelago of seven islands, its prominent eyrie stretching a thousand feet into the sky. Serviced by windships bearing goods and dignitaries, Khalakovo's eyrie stands at the crossroads of world trade. But all is not well in Khalakovo. Conflict has erupted between the ruling Landed, the indigenous Aramahn, and the fanatical Maharraht, and a wasting disease has grown rampant over the past decade. Now, Khalakovo is to play host to the Nine Dukes, a meeting which will weigh heavily upon Khalakovo's future.

When an elemental spirit attacks an incoming windship, murdering the Grand Duke and his retinue, Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, is tasked with finding the child prodigy believed to be behind the summoning. However, Nikandr discovers that the boy is an autistic savant who may hold the key to lifting the blight that has been sweeping the islands. Can the Dukes, thirsty for revenge, be held at bay? Can Khalakovo be saved? The elusive answer drifts upon the Winds of Khalakovo...

Since I received two ARCs for China Miéville's upcoming Railsea, I'm giving one away to you guys! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea–even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a series of pictures hinting at something, somewhere, that should be impossible—leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

From China Miéville comes a novel for readers of all ages, a gripping and brilliantly imagined take on Herman Melville's Moby-Dick that confirms his status as "the most original and talented voice to appear in several years."

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "RAILSEA." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

After almost 12 years, first as a summer intern, then in the Death Star and now in London, I believe I have worked here long enough to understand the trajectory of its culture, its people and its massive, genocidal space machines. And I can honestly say that the environment now is as toxic and destructive as I have ever seen it.

To put the problem in the simplest terms, throttling people with your mind continues to be sidelined in the way the firm operates and thinks about making people dead.

The Empire is one of the galaxy's largest and most important oppressive regimes and it is too integral to galactic murder to continue to act this way. The firm has veered so far from the place I joined right out of Yoda College that I can no longer in good conscience point menacingly and say that I identify with what it stands for.

For more than a decade I recruited and mentored candidates, some of whom were my secret children, through our gruelling interview process. In 2006 I managed the summer intern program in detecting strange disturbances in the Force for the 80 younglings who made the cut.

I knew it was time to leave when I realised I could no longer speak to these students inside their heads and tell them what a great place this was to work.

How did we get here? The Empire changed the way it thought about leadership. Leadership used to be about ideas, setting an example and killing your former mentor with a light sabre. Today, if you make enough money you will be promoted into a position of influence, even if you have a disturbing lack of faith.

What are three quick ways to become a leader? a) Execute on the firm's 'axes', which is Empire-speak for persuading your clients to invest in 'prime-quality' residential building plots on Alderaan that don't exist and have not existed since we blew it up. b) 'Hunt Elephants'. In English: get your clients - some of whom are sophisticated, and some of whom aren't - to tempt their friends to Cloud City and then betray them. c) Hand over rebel smugglers to an incredibly fat gangster.

When I was a first-year analyst I didn't know where the bathroom was, or how to tie my shoelaces telepathically. I was taught to be concerned with learning the ropes, finding out what a protocol droid was and putting my helmet on properlyso people could not see my badly damaged head.

My proudest moments in life - the pod race, being lured over to the Dark Side and winning a bronze medal for mind control ping-pong at the Midi-Chlorian Games - known as the Jedi Olympics - have all come through hard work, with no shortcuts.

The Empire today has become too much about shortcuts and not enough about remote strangulation. It just doesn’t feel right to me anymore.

I hope this can be a wake-up call. Make killing people in terrifying and unstoppable ways the focal point of your business again. Without it you will not exist. Weed out the morally bankrupt people, no matter how much non-existent Alderaan real estate they sell. And get the culture right again, so people want to make millions of voices cry out in terror before being suddenly silenced.-------------------

It's a sad day in history when even Darth Vader has lost faith in our politicians!

The Book of Transformations is the third installment in the Legends of the Red Sun series, sequel to Nights of Villjamur and City of Ruin. The second volume was an improvement on the first and set the stage for what appeared to be an exciting book three.

Here's the blurb:

A new and corrupt Emperor seeks to rebuild the ancient structures of Villjamur to give the people of the city hope in the face of great upheaval and an oppressing ice age. But when a stranger called Shalev arrives, empowering a militant underground movement, crime and terror becomes rampant.

The Inquisition is always one step behind, and military resources are spread thinly across the Empire. So Emperor Urtica calls upon cultists to help construct a group to eliminate those involved with the uprising, and calm the populace – the Villjamur Knights. But there’s more to Knights than just phenomenal skills and abilities – each have a secret that, if exposed, could destroy everything they represent.

Investigator Fulcrom of the Villjamur Inquisition is given the unenviable task of managing the Knights, but his own skills are tested when a mysterious priest, who has travelled from beyond the fringes of the Empire, seeks his help. The priest’s existence threatens the church, and his quest promises to unravel the fabric of the world. And in a distant corner of the Empire, the enigmatic cultist Dartun Súr steps back into this world, having witnessed horrors beyond his imagination. Broken, altered, he and the remnants of his order are heading back to Villjamur.

And all eyes turn to the Sanctuary City, for Villjamur’s ancient legends are about to be shattered...

Peter F. Hamilton once claimed that genre labels just don't apply to Mark Charan Newton. And that's certainly true for this novel as much as for the previous two installments. Problem is, by daring to be different from the norm in several ways, the author often puts himself in a position in which the habitual genre points of reference don't apply. At times, this can result in unanticipated originality and rewarding scenes. Unfortunately, other sequences can be off-putting or failures to launch for the very same reasons.

In the past, I always felt that the aspect at which Newton excels the most was the worldbuilding. His evocative narrative made Villjamur and Villiren come alive, both cities becoming characters in their own right. I was disappointed that this facet of the author's talent was not exploited in The Book of Transformations. Indeed, as was the case in Nights of Villjamur, the characters' introspection and the often heavy-handed social commentary got in the way of what was essentially a very good tale.

I was happy to discover more about the Cultists devoting their lives to the study of ancient artifacts and technology. More revelations about the alien invading forces were also welcome, yet in retrospect not much was gleaned in the end. Which, truth to tell, was more than a little odd. With the coming ice age and aliens coming from another dimension, one would think that these storylines would have taken center stage instead of being relegated to secondary plotlines to be explored in the fourth volume.

Let it not be said that Mark Charan Newton is not a daring author! After making one of the main characters gay, in The Book of Transformations one of the principal POV protagonists is a transsexual circus entertainer. Overall, I felt that Brynd's homosexuality was well-portrayed in City of Ruin and it added another dimension to a multilayered novel. I'm afraid the same cannot be said of Lan's portrayal in this book. Not that it isn't well-done, though I don't possess enough knowledge on the subject of transgender folk to judge whether or not Newton did as good a job with Lan as he did with Brynd. It's just that Lan's storyline and the introspection associated with it took way too much space in this novel. And with what appears to be the end of the world coming, I felt that there were bigger fish to fry as far as storylines are concerned.

As was the case with its predecessors, Newton's noirish prose once again works well and sets the mood just right. The pace, however, is sluggish throughout but at the very end, with too much instrospection bogging down the narrative at every turn. Having said that, Mark Charan Newton, as always, remains true to himself. Social and political commentary and the exploration of themes such as humanitarian issues, equality, etc, will always be present in his work. Hence, if one doesn't necessarily share the author's political views, then certain aspects of his work might occasionally put them off.

The characterization was uneven. Some characters are well-defined and genuine. Investigator Fulcrom is a good example of a three-dimensional protagonist, but we spend too much time inside his head and the inevitable love story that takes place was too predictable for my taste. The Villjamur Knights was an incredibly cool idea, but in the end the execution left a bit to be desired. I loved the idea of creating genetically improved superheroes, but they did very little for the most part. I felt that Shalev, who is so important to the overall plot of The Book of Transformations, was underused and should have been fleshed out more. The same goes for Ulryk, whose actions will shape the way the rest of the series will go.

I opined that City of Ruin demonstrated that there is much more to the Legends of the Red Sun than met the eye. Revelations and mysteries hinted at a blend of fantasy and science fiction elements that could set this series apart from its peers. Although The Book of Transformations failed to live up to that potential, Mark Charan Newton ends the novel with a bang, making me quite eager to discover what comes next. I can only hope that cool ideas and fascinating concepts will trump the introspection and the social and political commentary that plagued this books. If Newton can achieve the right balance between these aspects, the way he did with City of Ruin, the fourth volume could well be a doozy!

In episode 112 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester and Jaym Gates (continuing the discussion from Part 1 and Part 2) sit down with a mega panel of authors to discuss modern Sword and Sorcery with the authors who are currently writing it. The podcast features:

Since I enjoyed Bradley P. Beaulieu's The Winds of Khalakovo (Canada, USA, Europe) and named it the fantasy debut of the year in 2011, I knew I'd have to interview him at some point.

Here's the blurb for The Winds of Khalakovo:

Among inhospitable and unforgiving seas stands Khalakovo, a mountainous archipelago of seven islands, its prominent eyrie stretching a thousand feet into the sky. Serviced by windships bearing goods and dignitaries, Khalakovo's eyrie stands at the crossroads of world trade. But all is not well in Khalakovo. Conflict has erupted between the ruling Landed, the indigenous Aramahn, and the fanatical Maharraht, and a wasting disease has grown rampant over the past decade. Now, Khalakovo is to play host to the Nine Dukes, a meeting which will weigh heavily upon Khalakovo's future.

When an elemental spirit attacks an incoming windship, murdering the Grand Duke and his retinue, Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, is tasked with finding the child prodigy believed to be behind the summoning. However, Nikandr discovers that the boy is an autistic savant who may hold the key to lifting the blight that has been sweeping the islands. Can the Dukes, thirsty for revenge, be held at bay? Can Khalakovo be saved? The elusive answer drifts upon the Winds of Khalakovo...

And here's the book trailer:

And with Beaulieu's The Straits of Galahesh (Canada, USA, Europe) being released next month, that time was now!

Here's the blurb for The Straits of Galahesh:

West of the Grand Duchy of Anuskaya lies the Empire of Yrstanla, the Motherland. The Empire has lived at peace with Anuskaya for generations, but with political turmoil brewing and the wasting disease still rampant, opportunists from the mainland have begun to set their sights on the Grand Duchy, seeking to expand their empire. Five years have passed since Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, was tasked with finding Nasim, the child prodigy behind a deadly summoning that led to a grand clash between the armies of man and elder elemental spirits. Today, that boy has grown into a young man driven to understand his past - and the darkness from which Nikandr awakened him. Nikandr's lover, Atiana, has become a Matra, casting her spirit forth to explore, influence, and protect the Grand Duchy. But when the Al-Aqim, long thought lost to the past, return to the islands and threaten to bring about indaraqiram - a change that means certain destruction for both the Landed and the Landless - bitter enemies must become allies and stand against their horrific plans. From Bradley P. Beaulieu, author of the critically acclaimed debut novel The Winds of Khalakovo, comes Book Two of The Lays of Anuskaya, The Straits of Galahesh.

Enjoy!-------------------

- What's the 411 on Bradley P. Beaulieu? Tell us a bit about your background?

I'm a Wisconsin boy, born and raised. I grew up in mostly medium-small towns. My grade school, which had a profound effect on my reading tastes and my eventual writing career, was a little red-brick schoolhouse that was later torn down to build condos near Lake Michigan. I still get sad every time I drive by them. But while I was there, my best friend introduced me to The Hobbit. I scarfed that down and quickly moved on to The Lord of the Rings. I was transported so completely while reading those books, I was so enchanted, that I've hardly read anything but fantasy since. I dabble from time to time, of course—a thriller here, a mystery there, some non-fiction now and again—but by and large, I love reading (and now writing) fantasy.

I went to college at the Milwaukee School of Engineering for Computer Science, and that was where I first dabbled with writing. I wrote maybe six chapters of a very stereotypical adventure fantasy, but it was a beginning. I got enough good feedback that it made me want to try it more, but it wasn't until ten years or so later that I started getting serious about it. I dedicated myself to learning how to write and to getting that first novel finished and to writing and submitting short stories. Learning the craft was a slog in many ways, and it was emotionally difficult—try suffering through dozens of rejections on stories you've put your heart and soul into and you'll know what I mean—but I've tried very hard to enjoy even the rejections along the way, because those meant that I was in the game, that I was progressing.

Eventually I got my break with Night Shade Books, and it's been a wild ride—not even a year—since The Winds of Khalakovo was released. I'm very pleased that the second book in the series, The Straits of Galahesh, is about to hit the shelves.

- Without giving too much away, can you give us a taste of the tale that is THE WINDS OF KHALAKOVO?

My favorite quote for the book is from friend and fellow writer, Gregory A. Wilson:

If Anton Chekhov had thought to stage The Three Sisters onboard a windship, with a mix of Arabian Nights and Minority Report thrown in for good measure, the result would have been Bradley Beaulieu’s The Winds of Khalakovo.

Others have called Winds a "cyrillic fantasy" or a "flintlock fantasy." All of these approximate The Winds of Khalakovo, but I think I would sum it up like this: Winds is a story about a boy who has the power to break worlds, and it's the ways in which people want to use him—some to heal and some to harm—that plays out within its pages.

- How well-received has THE WINDS OF KHALAKOVO been thus far?

Winds has been very well received critically. I've been very pleased with the reviews and responses to the book so far. I think the most common praise that it's been getting is that it brings something fresh to the epic fantasy field, and I'm very proud of that. I fully admit that it doesn't tear down the walls and build the genre anew, but I do think it brings a fresh take to a somewhat worn field.

- Can you tell us a little more about the road that saw this one go from manuscript form to finished novel?

I'd had over a dozen short stories to my name by the time I was ready to pitch Winds. I'd also made inroads to various editors and publishing houses by going to various writing conferences and conventions. Anyone who tells you that you can get by without networking is lying. Sure, you still hear stories about break-out authors and novels that burst onto the field fully formed. But I think by and large you'll find that the people breaking into fiction today worked hard to do it, and made a lot of friends along the way, not just editors and agents, but other authors as well. This is a small field, and it's important to "be known" so that you and your work can get notice. It's not the entirety of the game, mind you. You still have to know your chops. Your work still has to stand on its own. But to get the chance of being read, of being considered, it often takes some kind of personal connection.

So while I new that many editors won't take unagented manuscripts, I didn't yet have an agent, but I'd already become comfortable with approaching editors to talk to them about my books. I did so with Jeremy Lassen while attending World Fantasy in San Jose back in 2009. I gave him my pitch, which was basically "Song of Ice and Fire meets Earthsea," and Jeremy asked if I had an agent. I said no, figuring that would be the end of the conversation, but Jeremy liked the pitch enough that he said to go ahead and send it his way. The offer came in a few months later, March of 2010, as I recall. I still didn't have an agent, but I somehow managed to convince Russ Galen that I was a writer worth taking a shot on. We signed the deal soon after, and then it was on to the Long Wait before the book was eventually published in April 2011.

- How would you describe your work to someone who hadn’t tried your books before?

Well, first and foremost, my home for novel length work is epic fantasy. That's what I've always loved to read, and I love writing it as well.

My hope is to bring a world and a story that is rich and gripping and real. I want the scope to be vast and the experience to be wondrous. I want things to matter. I want the heroes and those who stand against them to have true and ardent beliefs, because it is there, in that place where the characters oppose one another through real and human beliefs, that the story lies. These things drive me to write, and I hope it comes through in my writing.

- The sequel, THE STRAITS OF GALAHESH, is about to be released. What can you tell readers about it?

In The Winds of Khalakovo we were introduced to Ghayavand, the island where the sundering occurred three hundred years ago. We also leared that Nasim was reborn when Khamal, one of the three extremely powerful qiram who cause the sundering, was murdered. And there are hints of the looming threat from the Empire of Yrstanla to the west of the Grand Duchy, an empire that once laid claim to the islands of Anuskaya.

The Straits of Galahesh starts five years after the events shown in Winds. The book focuses on three main characters—Nikandr, Atiana, and Nasim—who take us on a journey that expands well beyond the boundaries of the Grand Duchy to explore the origin and growing effects of the rifts. Nasim is older now, and we learn more of his prior life as Khamal as he tries to close the rifts that were opened so many years ago. Yrstanla has once again set its sights on the islands they once ruled. Atiana becomes deeply involved in a plot that unfolds on the island of Galahesh, where the fabled straits lie, while Nikandr uncovers a different plot entirely, one that affects the Maharraht, the hated enemies of the Grand Duchy.

- What can readers expect from the upcoming sequels? Any tentative titles and release dates?

In the third and final book of the series, The Flames of Shadam Khoreh, we delve even deeper into the history behind the sundering and the fateful ritual that occurred so many years ago. This is crucial for our heroes because the rifts have continued to grow and strengthen, and it's clear that if they aren't closed once and for all, the very world of Erahm itself is at risk. The heroes travel to a far desert in the south of the Empire of Yrstanla, and there in the valley of Shadam Khoreh they hope to find the final clues they need to heal the rifts, but with Yrstanla embroiled in a war for the Grand Duchy of Anuskaya, returning to the island of Ghayavand, much less closing the rifts, is looking more and more difficult.

The Flames of Shadam Khoreh is set to release in April of 2013.

- Will you be touring during the course of the winter/spring to promote THE STRAITS OF GALAHESH? If so, are there any specific dates that have been confirmed as of yet?

I will have a small book tour around my home in the Midwest United States. The launch event is at Boswell Books in Milwaukee, WI on the 7th of April, 2-3pm. I hope to have other signings in Racine, Milwaukee, and Madison, WI, and Chicago, IL, but those dates are yet to be confirmed. I'll certainly put updates on my website, though, so anyone interested can keep an eye out there.

- What was the spark that generated the idea which drove you to write The Lays of Anuskaya series in the first place?

When I first started working on the world, it was the magic—the use of the elements—that came first. I had originally thought of having various tribes, people that specialized in each of the elemental forms (fire, earth, water, air, and life), but as I the world started to complicate, I pretty much threw out the idea of separate tribes, but I kept the elemental magic itself.

The world itself came next. I knew that I wanted to set the story on islands, and from there I stumbled across the notion of using Muscovite Russia and the Grand Duchy of Moscow as a "leaping off" point for the culture. The question then naturally arose: how did they conduct trade? How did they move from place to place? I wanted to make this an inhospitable world, one in which it was difficult to carve out a place where life and culture could be sustained, and in order to do this, I reckoned that sea travel would be challenging for these people. The islands are protected by reefs, and so travel by sea is possible within each of the archipelagos, but beyond this, ships could easily be lost.

This was where the flying ships came in. I thought that maybe travel by air would actually be more dependable than sea travel. But this could only be true if they had some way to control it reliably. And this, by and large, is where the Aramahn came into being. I brought back the idea of the tribes, but recast them in such a way that they could control the elements, but not the people of the Grand Duchy. And so a strange compact was made between these two peoples: the Aramahn would provide their abilities to control these ships, and the Grand Duchy would give free access to the islands to the Aramahn, who roam the world and meditate and strive to attain enlightenment.

It was at this point, when the windships came into the picture, that the world of Winds really coalesced for me and I knew I had something cool on my hands. And from there it was just a matter of trying to live up to that promise.

- What do you feel is your strength as a writer/storyteller?

I spend a lot of time on worldbuilding. I like to think that I create a world that is both interesting and internally consistent. I like for it to feel like it lives beyond the pages. I also try to focus closely on keeping the reader interested, keeping the story moving. My personal writing mantra is "tension on every page." It's difficult to reach our ideals, but I do try consciously while writing to keep the plot moving, keep things leaning against the heroes, but not in such a way that it feels unbalanced or hectic. So much of writing is finding balance, so I try to leaven the action with tender or emotional moments, but even then I try to maintain focus on the weight of events that these characters are dealing with.

- By the same token, what would be your weaknesses, or aspects of your craft you feel you need to work on?

I've long known that I'm a plot-driven writer. I rather think it's because I wasn't an extremely avid reader as I grew up and moved into college. I read, certainly, but I also loved movies, and I think this is why I'm more plot-driven than character-driven. I came at writing from a more cinematic perspective than others. So while it's a weakness, I do try hard to temper my inclinations to make sure the decisions being made and the emotions playing out are consistent with the characters.

- You have been a prolific short fiction writer these last few years. Do you have a different approach when you write short stories and novel-length projects?

Well, I'd say that there's a ton of overlap between the two. In world building, character building, the mechanics of the writing; all those things hardly differ between the two mediums. But the scope of the story is certainly different. My natural tendency is to think big, which does not (as you may have guessed) lend itself to short stories. So that's the first major difference. But beyond this there are simple techniques that are essential to the short story writer. Starting scenes later than I normally would, ending them sooner, using subtext more: these are the tricks of the trade for the short story writer. I won't say that I've mastered the art—I think it's quite challenging to craft a satisfying short story—but I continue to work those muscles, and at times borrow them while writing my novels.

- There are a number of different perspectives as to the function secondary-world or epic fantasy carries out for readers. Le Guin once wrote that such fantasy deepened and intensified the mysteries of life, while R. Scott Bakker has put forward that humanity is neurologically ill-equipped for a modern, rationalist world and this leads some to seek access to a pre-modern worldview (or the fiction of one) where reality conforms to the mind's irrational, evolutionarily hardwired expectations. Others have denigrated it as mere escapism, an alternative opiate for the masses.

What is your view as to fantasy's function?

At a recent convention, this subject came up, although in an oblique manner. The panel topic was on medieval fantasy—kings and queens and castles—and why this particular flavor of fantasy—especially those told in pseudo Western European settings—has dominated the field since The Lord of the Rings. But eventually we started talking about why this kind of fantasy even exists, and I think one of the reasons is a certain type of escapism. I don't think it's as simple as people wanting to escape as it is wanting to have some agency in the world around them. What do these stories tend to focus on? Kings and queens, yes, but also knights and magi, assassins and thieves. Whatever their station in life, the stories that are told are about people who have power of one kind or another. Royalty have the ability to control their world with but a word, knights by the strength of their sword, assassins by their keen blades. I think in today's world, one in which we feel more and more powerless, I think the allure of slipping into a world in which you, the reader, become these powerful characters, is strong indeed.

I think another primary purpose is to examine certain aspects of our modern day lives in different setting entirely. This removal, this abstraction, allows us to view conflict through a lens unencumbered by our modern biases and prejudices. Now, I say this and I know it's an ideal. We cannot remove ourselves completely from our world, even while reading. We our creatures of our time and place, of our upbringing, and so we will naturally view "story" through our own internal lenses and not merely those presented in the story itself. Still, I think this can be a terribly useful thing for us to do, to expand upon or deconstruct our modern dialogue in another fashion that might help to foster a new understanding.

That said, I'm very careful not to become didactic in my writing. There are clear parallels in The Winds of Khalakovo and the tension in the middle-east. Themes of terrorism and colonialism and exceptionalism come up in the tale, but it is not a story about our world. It is a story in and of itself, separate from us. Or at least, that was my intent. Whether it speaks in any way to what we as a people are dealing with today, I leave to the reader.

- Were there any perceived conventions of the fantasy genre which you wanted to twist or break when you set out to write THE WINDS OF KHALAKOVO and its sequels?

I certainly wanted to break away from the Western European motif in epic fantasy. I'm always mindful of being derivative, so I wanted to find something that was new to me, that would challenge me as a writer and hopefully provide something fresh to the reader. I stumbled across the Russian flavor in the novel mostly by accident, by just running different Earth parallels through to their natural conclusion in my world, but once I had stumbled across it, I really liked it. I'm really picky about names, and once I started playing around with the names of the duchies (like Khalakovo) and the characters (like Nikandr and Atiana), the idea stuck, and then it was a matter of researching and filling out the world to make it feel real.

I also wanted to avoid the grand evil that shows up in so many fantasies. I adore Tolkien, but I don't know that I'll ever write a book with a supreme evil in it. Perhaps I will someday just to break out of my own mold, but for the time being, I really like gray stories about real people with desperate and deeply personal struggles. And I also subscribe to the notion that every character is a hero in their own story, and so I didn't want my villains to be of the moustache-twirling variety. I wanted them to believe ardently in their own cause, and in such a way that made sense to the reader, and even to (some of) the characters in the novel that opposed them.

- Cover art has become a very hot topic of late. What are your thoughts pertaining to that facet of a novel, and what do you think of the cover that graces your book?

I've long since known that I would have very little input on the cover art for my novels. I'm also fully aware that a cover is a representation of the novel. An abstraction with one purpose: to sell the novel to its core audience. So I was well prepared when the art for the books were being developed. That being said, I've been fortunate to have some input. I tried to prepare the artists as well as I could, but beyond the offer of help, and providing it when asked, I stayed out. That's not my job. The art director at Night Shade and the artists know what they're doing.

My particular case is rather interesting, though. I have two covers that are vastly different from one another. The Winds of Khalakovo has this brilliant landscape scene full of earthy colors and a stunning realization of the windships in the novel. It's very atmospheric and gives a good sense of the tone of the book—grand and dark and ominous. The Straits of Galahesh, on the other hand, has a much more character-oriented cover. It's very dynamic and gives a sense of the action and adventure. This is where art directors earn their money. Both covers reflect what's inside the covers, but one or the other will win out in the marketplace. Which one? That remains to be seen. Check back with me in about nine months...

- The fact that there is a website dedicated to your work is an indication that interaction with your readers is important to you as an author. How special is it to have the chance to interact directly with potential readers and soon-to-be fans?

Certainly the primary purpose of my site is to spread the word about my books. But I absolutely want to hear from my readership. I really like hearing the great feedback I've received so far. It's one of the things you dream about as a wannabe writer, hearing from fans who get your work. You run the risk, of course, of hearing some things you might not want to hear, but that's a risk I'll take any day. The chance to interact with people about your work is one of the most gratifying things about this business, probably the most gratifying.

- What authors make you shake your head in admiration? Many speculative fiction authors don't read much inside the genre. Is it the case with you?

I've heard that a lot as well, that many don't read within the genre, but I'm almost the exact opposite. I hardly read outside the genre. It's something I have to watch. I push myself to read outside the genre so that I continue to feel fresh. I feed my mind, so to speak, by reading other genres like thrillers and mysteries and nonfiction.

Writers that have my shaking my head? Guy Gavriel Kay is certainly one. I love the way he marries poetry and prose. A relative newcomer is Rob Ziegler, who just last November released his debut novel, Seed. Seed was a powerful and ruthless tale, but within it are turns of phrase that had me laughing at how good they were. I was recently introduced to Laird Barron's work, and he's another where I fall wholly into the tale, giving the darkness of his voice a chance to encroach until it has me tightly in its grasp. Some others I adore are Tim Powers, Michael Swanwick, and Kelly Link.

- You have mentioned that several genre authors have influenced you. You say that the ones that have had the most effect on your own writing are C. S. Friedman, Guy Gavriel Kay, Glen Cook, and George R. R. Martin What aspects of their own style have you tried to emulate in your own works of fiction?

I love George Martin for the depth and breadth of his world. His world doesn't have quite the feeling of antiquity of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, but it's every bit as wide and every bit as deep. And I love that he's able to, in a very short amount of time, make you care about any character he chooses to write about. He's a master of reader sympathy, even when the characters he's writing about aren't all that sympathetic.

I love Guy Gavriel Kay for his lyrical prose and the romanticism he brings to his tales. His stories remind me of the paintings of pre-Raphaelite masters, their lush colors and majestic subjects. I try to achieve the same overall effect in my novels. Often I'll visualize scenes in just that sort of manner to help me focus on the effect I'm looking for.

I love Glen Cook for his gritty, in-the-trenches realism. While I strive for a romantic telling, there are times to set that aside and drag the reader down into the mud and guts and blood. That's what I take from Cook, the feral, hindbrain nature of war when the fighting actually comes.

And I love C.S. Friedman for her relentless, serious, dark tone. I will admit that I could use more humor in my books, but I think there's something to be said about a ruthless sort of oppression. It makes you feel that much more for the characters when the way ahead is so bleak, especially when the characters are as human as Friedman portrays them.

- Given the choice, would you take a New York Times bestseller, or a World Fantasy/Hugo Award? Why, exactly?

I had this conversation at a convention recently with other author, and I'll give the same answer I gave then. I'll take the NY Times Bestseller. Why? Because in the end I'm looking to share my stories with as wide an audience as I can. There are a ton (a ton!) of great, powerful books that never get award recognition. I'll admit as well that I don't think my books (at least the ones I'm writing and plan to write in the near future) lend themselves to award season. Don't get me wrong. I'm very proud of them, and I do think they bring something fresh to the field, but the awards tend to reward those books that really push boundaries, break trends, or revive trends long-since thought dead. I'm not writing that kind of fiction—at least not at this point in my career—so I'd be well pleased indeed to someday open up an email that tells me I've hit the NY Times.

- More and more, authors/editors/publicists/agents are discovering the potential of all the SFF blogs/websites/message boards on the internet. Do you keep an eye on what's being discussed out there, especially if it concerns you? Or is it too much of a distraction?

I do keep an eye on what's going on. First of all, you and other bloggers read a lot of material. I think you have pretty informed opinions, so it's one way to get a gauge on how my books are being received. It's also, as you say, the way things are headed. People are spending more time on the internet, replacing entertainment and information gathering from other, more traditional sources with online sources, so I like to keep my finger on that pulse, so to speak. I'll admit that there's a bit of fascination to it as well. It's kind of fascinating watching the banter between bloggers as they talk about this or that book. Plus, it's fun to watch the fireworks when there's a differing of opinions.

All that said, I try not to invest myself too heavily in outside opinions. I do want to know how people are receiving my books, but on the other hand, you have to temper it by keeping some distance. Otherwise you become a slave not to your own, inner artistic voice, but your audience, and in that way lies ruin. You have to stay true to your artistic self. So while I try to internalize those things that are worth listening to, I also work hard to shut those voices down and return to the place that made me want to write about this particular world when I sit down at the keyboard. In other words, when I write I try to fall into the world, leaving our world completely behind. It's an ideal that can never be fully realized, but I think it's wise to try when you're actively working on the story.

- Anything else you wish to share with us?

Two quick plugs. I run a podcast with fellow author Greg Wilson called Speculate! It's a podcast for writers, readers, and fans. We have a variety of shows, including reviews of speculative fiction, interviews with authors, and discussions of writing technique. You can check us out at www.speculatesf.com.

I also recently wrote a sci-fi novella with Stephen Gaskell called Strata. We've been getting a lot of wonderful press from reviewers, and we hope those who like a good dystopian science fiction thriller from time to time will give it a look.

And a quick thank you to Pat. Thanks for having me by for such an in-depth interview. It was a lot of fun.